Father Simeon
Father Simeon was a Dominican Order priest that comes to Le Lézard Bleu Art Gallery in Paris, to see “La Maledicció” in person. God brought him here. He saw the poster of the exhibition and wanted to bear witness what the devil would conjure. Father Simeon is part of the Dominican Order, founded to seek out and destroy heresy. For thousand years they have fought against it. Indeed, their enemies gave them a nickname: "The hounds of God". 'Domini Canis' – Dog of the Lord. Personality Father Simeon seems committed to what he envisage as a better way, he has an habit of seeing where others are going wrong and trying to put them right. Simeon has a sense of a higher good or better way constantly in the back of their mind, current life events and situations are often judged in relation to it. It can be hard for some Priests to utter a sentence without seeming to include some sort of inspirational insight — or perhaps just a moral lecture. Broken Sword 5: The Serpent's Curse George Stobbart and Nicole Collard first meet Father Simeon during the art exhibition at the gallery. After the robbery, he kneels over Henri Dubois’s dead body and prays for his poor soul. This killing makes plenty of sense. A great evil has taken place, he knows this things. The painting brought Father Simeon to the exhibition, he had to confront the evil. It is believed that whoever gets close to it will burn in hell. Henri walked across the painting’s path causing his inevitable death in the eyes of God. George has a profound curiosity about what the priest has to say regarding the painting’s creator, ‘el Serp’. Father Simeon explains He was a man playing with fire, the fire of eternal damnation. Purveyor of blasphemy, a servant of the anti-Christ. It is clear from his work. “La Maledicció” is without doubt heretical. Because it is filled with evil Gnostic imagery and Gnostics are heretics. The Ouroboros - The Snake eating its own tail and images of false saints - heretical saints. Later in the story, When the reconstruction of the crime that caused Henri’s death and “La Maldicció”'s disappearance is held in the gallery, all the individuals that witnessed the traumatic situation are called by Inspector Auguste Navet to attend the role play. Once inside the gallery, George tricks Navet into looking the unplugged device’s cable to be able to fix it before he returns. This is when Sergeant Moue realizes that there is not a dead body for the role play, so Navet nominates George to play the lead of Henri. Though he doesn’t look like him, George is able to find an old pair of white glasses that belonged to Henri. Meanwhile, Nico and Father Simeon arrive in scene. The reconstruction starts and everyone needs to stand precisely where they were when the victim died. Since George is playing Henri, he lays down on the floor with Father Simeon on his side. Luckily, they have the opportunity to speak while Navet figures out what to do next. Father Simeon shares with George some interesting information about the Gnostics and the symbols seen in the “La Maledicció”. After this, George shows him one of Hobbs’ sketches and the priest loses control unable to believe what he is seeing and storms out the gallery screaming that evil is coming and that the “Tabula Veritatis” is real. At that same time, an Interpol Inspector named Richard Langham enters the Gallery. Father Simeon is very concern about the sketch drawn by Wilfred Hobbs of a particular part of the painting. He looks surprised and overwhelmed by the important discovery he has just made. The sketch showed an image hidden inside the Ouroboros, a dangerous image. The symbol represents a heresy, an object that the Gnostics call the "Tabula Veritatis": The tablet of truth. But in fact, it is a tablet of Lies: a tool of Lucifer, an artefact capable of undoing the whole of creation. It was smuggled out of the Holy Land millennia ago and brought to Europe by the Cathars, an evil Gnostic cult. In 1209 the Church launched a glorious Crusade in the Cathar heartlands of Southern France. The Dominican Order wiped out almost all the Cathars and with them - The Evil that is Gnosticism. His order, the Dominicans, were formed at that time to seek out and eradicate any remaining Gnostics. But they failed in their primary objective. They did not find the "Tabula Veritatis". The Order presumed it lost, but the painting suggests it is still in Gnostic hands. Some time later, George finds out that the Provenance: a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality for “La Maledicció” which supposedly belongs to Roman Medovsky it’s been forged by Hobbs. Immediately after this, a shooting sound travels across Henri's O Office. There has been another murder. George finds out that Father Simeon has been shot and is lying dead inside the Art Gallery. His last few words are “The Gnostics - you must stop them. Don't let them… They are going to raise the Devil… Lucifer himself!”. On a closer look, Father Simeon holds an ancient manuscript scan with a covering note, both written in Latin. The illustration shows a group of colored figures engaged in some sort of ritual.Before Father Simeon’s died, he manages to give George some important documents involving the Tabula. It is an ancient scan of a manuscriptwith a covering note, both written in Latin. An illustration shows a group of colored figures engaged in some sort of ritual. The Tabula Veritatis only appears in one file: “The Inquisition into Heretical Depravity” by Nicholas Eymerich, AD 1376. The note was signed by the Vice Prefect of the Vatican Archives. Simeon must have done some digging after he recognized the symbol on Hobbs' sketch. The scan of the manuscript read "And thus spoke the accused. In this ritual we find succour. Clad in Blue, the Perfect Perfecti takes the form of the spiritual and look towards the rising sun, towards the Tree of Knowledge. Clad in Green, the Credentes (believers) look the other way, towards the setting sun where stands the Tree of Life. And all shall know that the Light of Knowledge is blue, and that the Light of Life is green. For thus was the Light of Eden both blue and green. Intertwined with the Light of Man to become pure. Pure light, white light. Pure light will win. So it was written in the old texts. Affirmed by the Tabula Veritatis. And these were the accused's last words. Father Simeon’ spirit is seen in George’s dream during the flight to Eden along with Wilfred Hobbs and Tiago Marqués. The vision is set in the Gnostic Chapel found inside Castell dels Sants in Catalonia, Spain. Simeon has come to George in a spiritual form to bring him some advices on how to defeat Langham. The three ghosts don’t agree in anything the other say, but they try to give George a meaningful and helping advice. Quotes *“The devil takes many forms.” *"Laugh not at the devil's play." *“The devil is all around.” *“It trails murder in its wake.” *"Don't listen to him, George. He is here to lead you astray. He is a Gnostic. A heretic. Lucifer is the Devil - he should be defeated. Jehovah must reign supreme." *Father Simon: “Ach! See what you get when you turn from Jehovah? A paint-spattered hedonist! Don't listen to either of them, George! A heretic - and a lazy drunk!” : Hobbs: “Hey, I'm not lazy!” Trivia *From the Hebrew name Shim'on and it means "to hear, to be heard; reputation". *In the Old Testament this is the name of the second son of Jacob and the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. In the New Testament this is the name of a man who blessed the newborn Jesus. It was also borne by a powerful 10th-century ruler of Bulgaria. Gallery Henri 2.png|Father Simeon praying for Henri's soul at Le Lézard Bleu father simeon 2.png|Father Simeon consternated over Hobbs' sketch father simeon 1.png|The priest shot dead manuscript BS5.png|Simeon's secret documents Gnostic chapel 1.png|George's dream during the flight to Eden Category:Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse Category:Paris, France Category:Le Lezard Bleu, Paris Category:Café Le Tricolore Category:Characters Category:Important Character Category:Castells dels Sants Category:Catalonia, Spain